Alan Archibald accused referee Craig Charleston of costing Partick Thistle victory against Dundee.
The furious Thistle boss blasted the whistler’s decision to send off keeper Scott Fox when players from both sides clashed over a second-half penalty award.
With the game balanced at 1-1, Charleston pointed to the spot after a Daniel Seaborne foul on James McPake but then sent off Fox after claims the Jags stopper had intentionally struck Paul McGowan in the face.
Archibald insisted that was not the case. And despite the fact that replacement keeper Paul Gallacher celebrated his 35th birthday by saving the spot kick, his boss claimed the referee’s blunder had changed the game in Dundee’s favour.
Archibald said: “Their players have said that Scott Fox has punched somebody but I didn’t see that.
“Scott says he just put his arm up and the referee has sent him off for it. That was the game ruined. It was a different game after that. But our boys feel like justice was done with Paul Gallacher’s penalty save.”
Archibald reserved praise for the veteran keeper before admitting that under the circumstances, he was happy to escape Dens Park with a point.
“In the second half Gall has been excellent for us, saving the penalty straight away,” he said.
“He’s been good at that. He came on last year and got in the team when Foxy got injured and he was outstanding. For an old man he moves well!
“And credit to the outfield players, they worked very hard with 10 men and in the end it was a good point.”
Archibald’s side, unsurprisingly, were unchanged after their comprehensive 4-0 win over Ross County in midweek, and they started like a team full of confidence.
Dundee, on the other hand, were forced to replace captain Kevin Thomson with Jim McAlister and to swap striker Greg Stewart for Peter MacDonald and the changes seemed to have an impact.
Throughout pre-season and into the start of their Premiership campaign, the Dark Blues’ narrow 4-4-2 formation, with two deeper lying midfielders behind two with more attacking license, has served them well.
In the first half against Thistle, it foundered for the first time.
The Jags’ sturdy 4-1-4-1 allowed them to take control of midfield with a level of ease that must have left Paul Hartley furious and from there they went forward at will.
Gary Fraser’s stunning 20-yard opener after just four minutes set the tone for the rest of a first half controlled by Alan Archibald’s Jags. But in the second half, everything changed.
Teenage hit man Craig Wighton, a half-time replacement for the well shackled Luka Tankulic, drew Dundee level with a cool finish under Scott Fox after being sent clear by Jim McAlister on 54 minutes.
Then all hell broke loose after referee Charleston pointed to the spot, with Gallacher replacing the departed Fox just in time to save Gary Harkins’ penalty.
A man to the good, Dundee pressed for a winner in the aftermath, but couldn’t find a way past Thistle’s stubborn rear guard.
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